Oakyield City
Oakyield City The most populous city in Eris, one of the largest on the planet of Ryos, Oakyield is a trading behemoth situated just north east of the Vale of the Seven Lords, the city lies a short distance from the sea, along the river Yeld. History Oakyield is simply named after the prominence of oak trees in the area(many placenames such as Oaktown, Oakmount, Riveroak etc. are common throughout the western riverland area) and the river Yeld. The fortress of Oakyeld was home to the tribe of the Oakmar in the Pre-Empirical Era. The Oakmar quickly dominated the surrounding area and built a large enough town around their fortress. Unlike many other tribes, the state was ruled by a council of lords after the king's deposition. The lord's various civil wars led to the town consisting of the different lord's sectors, all fortified against each other. Fortifications within fortifications. The civil war's restricted early Oakyield's potential to become an all-dominant state, even an empire, but left it in little danger due to its expanses compared to the surroundings. The Invasion of the Ancient Empire was swift and unstoppable. With armies of tens of thousands, the likes of which had never before been seen in Eris and well-forged iron weaponry, the forces from the south swept through the lands, leaving the infertile or difficult lands(such as the Karstic Interior) to rot among themselves while either smashing or conducting clever negotiations with the various locals. Within ten years, Eris, or at least the important parts, were almost completely under the Empire's control. The lands were divied up among the three sons of the Prince Ruion. Thus the Lordship of Sea and Summer, the Lordship of Stone and Salt and the Lordship of Sand and Snow were formed. The Lordship of Sand and Snow included Hilte, the western Vale, the western riverlands, all the way to the far north west of the Wells. Oakyeld capitulated without fight to vast empirical armies. The ancients were impressed with the fortifications, knew the lands were rich and generally liked the town. It was also one of the most populous settlements in the new Lordship after the burnings and massacres at Goruiea(the Dale's predecessor) and Breennhom(an ancient city on the birkon peninsula. Oakyield was also quite near the centre of the Lordship. It was chosen as the capital of the lordship, though the seat was in the closer to home Wren's Nest. The empiricals could not pronounce Oakyeld, pronouncing it Oakyield. Hence the name. From a large town, Oakyield grew into a major city under the Ancient Empire of Gyol. The great Diamond Walls of Oakyield were built by the ancient's, one of their few stoneworks in Eris. Incredibly strong, even by the most modern of standards, they showed it to be one of the most favoured holds of their in Eris. Gyol eventually met it's match in the Grand Alliance of the Great Nations of the East and the Western Alliance. The two alliances tried to meet up, both landing vast armies in the far north of Eris, the thinnest part. This led to a savage fifteen-year war along a static front over frozen land no one wanted. With the sea cut off after the Naval Crumble, a great part of the war matériel passed through the city, further enriching it. The empire collapsed even quicker then it had risen. After it's military disasters in the near success of the Allied Karpulian Expedition and the Line Break in the north, the Holy Rebellion caused almost all the troops abroad to be withdrawn or decommissioned. Unfortunately for them, with the Ancient Empire in complete spiral to destruction, the Alliance fragmented over questions such as spoils, land divisions and ongoing disputes among the neighbouring Allies which had been suspended due to the threat of the Empire's ridiculous expansionism. The allies never really got to press home their land claims as the Wars of the Crumble erupted. The lord's of Oakyield had stayed intact and had quietly grown rich during this period and wielded massive power among the people. They led a populist rebellion which quickly overwhelmed the troops left in the city and declared independence. Oakyield was one of the first of such cities and territories to do so. Entering the Old Kingdom period, Oakyield became a huge power as a city state. It endured a series of wars with the Dale of the Sealords and fought enemies ranging from the Vale, the Marches, the various river kingdoms, the Hiltian and Karstic Empires and even the state of Tharcia. It's inner walls have only once been breached- by the Dalians in the Third Dalo-Oakyieldian War. It's outer walls were commissioned after the city outgrew the space inside and a Dalian siege left all outside the walls burnt. 353 years after the fall of the Ancient Empire, Aenan Sarcrus came to Eris with his force of five thousand. With ridiculously well disciplined and well armored and armed troops, he cut through the Round Kingdom, Querl, the Grand Duchy of the Thinlands and the Karstic Empire in a campaign rivaling even that of the Ancient Gyolons. He employed many local levies and mercenaries to do this, the Lordship of Summerwood being the most well known and prominent of these allies. After the fall of the Karston Empire, river lords such as Lord Cartus of Forktown gained independence from their tyrannical overlords. This independence was short lived but some minded little as their power was to grow hugely. Lord Cartus gathered a coalition under him and aligned himself with Aenan and his armies. During the fall of the Marcher Kingdoms, Cartus conquered Fort Lichton, a formidable fortress-town. Small lords flocked to join him as it was safety from sarcrus. However he allowed them little rest and drilled up a vast army for the territory he controlled. After the fall of the Northern Kingdom, Aenan Sarcrus marched on Oakyield City. The Oakyieldian army met Aenan on the fields of Pellenmor. Meanwhile, Lord Cartus annihilated an army of Valian reinforcements, a mixture of mercenaries and troops sent by the Vale council to delay sarcrus, east of the city. The Sarcrusian main force won a hard-fought victory- the oakyieldans mostly fought to the death after being surrounded and had to deal with a massive number of wounded and rest after a day long struggle. Cartus' army marched on the barely defended city and conquered it. Thus he ruled it in Aenan's name due to Aenan's generousity. Aenan Sarcrus went on to conquer the Vale of the Seven Lords and the remainder of Hilte. Since then, Oakyield has remained largely under the lords Cartus' control. Rebellions No place in Eris is strong enough to rebel alone but there have been multiple times throughout history when Oakyield has seized upon some external weakness to strike for freedom- not necessarily from the Kingdom, but definitely from the Riverlands. The Dalo-Oakyieldian Rebellion was the most serious of these. The two cities struggled for freedom from the kingdom of Eris. They set up the Joint State. The two city councils were to be merged into one after the rebellion succeeded but only delegations from them met each other for the duration of the war. After a naval débacle at the Battle off the Birke, the alliance was forced onto the defensive for the rest of the war. A massive Hiltian force struck out at the Dale and crushed it utterly. Oakyields main battle army was destroyed trying to hold the bridge at Baelblue against an allied army of riverish, northern, valian, royal and even karston troops. Oakyield city endured a two-month siege, after which it capitulated. Category:Eris